Perspectives of US General Surgery Program Directors on Cultural and Fiscal Barriers to Maternity Leave and Postpartum Support During Surgical Training

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Abstract
Up to 50% of physicians plan to become parents during clinical training,1 a life event that has important implications for career development, work-life balance, and burnout.2 Studies of surgical resident perceptions on childbearing have described stigma and negative attitudes against parenthood, guilt over the burden placed on peers to cover leave, variable presence of maternity leave policies, a paucity of mentorship on balancing family priorities and work duties, and deficits in breastfeeding and childcare support.3,4 These difficulties may have negative implications for the surgical workforce, with nearly 40% of women who had a child during training reporting that they seriously considered leaving their training program and 30% reporting they would counsel a female medical student against a surgical profession owing to the challenges of becoming a mother during training.4

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